Written Answers Thursday 18 June 2009

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it considers that residential rehabilitation services play in improving Scotland’s relationship with alcohol and how effective it considers such treatment to be.

Shona Robison: Decisions on appropriate services for individuals are made by clinicians.

  The Scottish Government provides funding, via NHS boards, for treatment and support services. Decisions on spend are made at a local level by Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (Alcohol and Drug Partnerships from 1 October), taking into account local assessment of need and priorities; national priorities as set out in our Framework for Action Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol; health inequalities; and our new Framework for Local Partnerships on alcohol and drugs. As such, decisions on residential rehabilitation will be made locally. In 2009-10, the Scottish Government will provide £36 million via NHS boards for tackling alcohol misuse.

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed by the Accountant in Bankruptcy and how this compares with the staffing in each of the last five years.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual (a) staffing and (b) operational costs are of the office of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Fergus Ewing: The Accountant in Bankruptcy publishes details of staff numbers and operational costs annually in their annual report which is available on their website at www.aib.gov.uk .

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have applied for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA).

Fergus Ewing: The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland and publishes statistics on personal insolvencies in Scotland, quarterly on their website at www.aib.gov.uk and by financial year in their annual report, which is also available on their website.

  The Accountant in Bankruptcy considers debtor applications and assesses eligibility for bankruptcy. Debtor applications for bankruptcy are all considered via the same application process and applications are not specifically considered as low income, low assets applications.

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it anticipated would apply for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA).

Fergus Ewing: Based on the findings of a working group on debt relief and Citizen’s Advice Scotland figures, it was estimated that between 4,500 and 6,500 debtors who were stuck in the debt cycle and urgently requiring debt relief would apply for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA) route.

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average debts are for people who have applied for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA).

Fergus Ewing: A review of the low income, low asset (LILA) route into bankruptcy, published in October 2008, is available on the Accountant in Bankruptcy website at www.aib.gov.uk .

  Based on a sample of 2,011 debtors who became bankrupt between 1 April 2008 and 31 July 2008, the report found that the average LILA debtor has around £17,288 of debt and the majority of debtors owe between £5,000 and £19,999.

  A further review of the LILA route into bankruptcy is currently underway and is due to report findings by August 2009.

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will remove the £100 fee required for access to bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA).

Fergus Ewing: A review of the low income, low asset (LILA) route into bankruptcy published in October 2008 concluded that the application fee was reasonable and minimised the administration cost to the public purse. The report is available on the Accountant in Bankruptcy website at www.aib.gov.uk . The report also gave a commitment to consider the fee once evidence had been provided by the advice sector.

  A further review of the LILA route into bankruptcy is currently underway and is due to report findings by August 2009. A decision on the application fee will be made based on the findings and any evidence provided by stakeholders.

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it costs the Accountant in Bankruptcy to administer the low income, low assets (LILA) scheme.

Fergus Ewing: The low income, low asset (LILA) route into bankruptcy came into force on 1 April 2008, the same date from which debtor applications for bankruptcy were made directly to the Accountant in Bankruptcy rather than to the courts as previously.

  LILA is an additional route into the bankruptcy process, not a separate scheme in itself, and the Accountant in Bankruptcy does not split the administration costs of the debtor application process.

  The total administrative costs of the team dealing with debtor applications are estimated at £928,700 per annum.

  This figure does not include fees payable to third parties associated with debtor applications which are beyond the Accountant in Bankruptcy’s direct control; principally the costs of advertising the award in the Edinburgh Gazette and registering the award with the Registers of Scotland.

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost the Accountant in Bankruptcy to administer the Debt Arrangement Scheme.

Fergus Ewing: The estimated cost of developing the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) case management system to meet the immediate demands of changes to regulations is £32,000.

  This figure also provides for an assessment on the future suitability of the DAS IT system which, in technology terms, is aging. This work would be required irrespective of any changes to DAS.

  Based on 3,000 DAS applications per annum, the estimated costs to operate the DAS scheme will be around £500,000 per annum. That figure is based on total cost and includes all support costs, a proportion of accommodation, management, governance and control etc.

Bankruptcy

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans for trust deeds to be administered by the Accountant in Bankruptcy and, if so, how much this will cost.

Fergus Ewing: The trust deed process was discussed as part of the work of the Debt Action Forum (DAF). There has not been any policy decision to change trust deeds at this time. Work is ongoing with stakeholders to consider the whether changes are required to trust deeds.

Debt

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whom it consulted on the Debt Arrangement Scheme (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2009 (SS1 2009/234).

Fergus Ewing: There was no formal consultation on the Debt Arrangement Scheme (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2009 (SS1 2009/234). The Accountant in Bankruptcy did however run a series of workshops with stakeholders and met regularly with the money advice sector at various stages during the regulation making process.

  Stakeholders included representatives from:

  

 HM Revenue and Customs


 Eversheds


 Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation


 Lloyds TSB


 The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland


 Money Advice Scotland


 Citizens Advice Scotland


 Glasgow City Council


 South Lanarkshire Council


 North Lanarkshire Council


 Highland Council


 Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice


 Argyll and Bute Council


 Fife Council


 North Ayrshire Council


 Accountant in Bankruptcy

Debt

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who the members of the Debt Action Forum are.

Fergus Ewing: The Debt Action Forum (DAF) was a group of stakeholders and academics invited by Scottish ministers to consider measures that might create a coherent debt package to respond to the current financial climate. Minutes of the DAF meetings are available on the Accountant in Bankruptcy website at www.aib.gov.uk .

  The members are:

  

 Fergus Ewing, MSP 
 Minister for Community Safety (Chair)


 Gillian Thompson
 Accountant in Bankruptcy


 George Way
 Law Society of Scotland


 Ann Condick
 The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland


 Susan McPhee 
 Citizens Advice Scotland


 Yvonne Gallacher
 Money Advice Scotland


 Lindsay Montgomery
 Scottish Legal Aid Board


 Anne Feeney
 Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities


 Adrian Stalker
 QC


 George Gretton
 The Scottish Law Commission


 Frank Johnstone
 Finance and Leasing Association


 Karen Titulaer
 British Bankers Association / Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers

Drug Misuse

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it informed members of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse that the committee was being disbanded; whether the Scottish Government consulted on this, and, if so, when.

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its intention to replace the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse (SACDM) with a drugs strategy delivery commission as stated in The Road to Recovery, One Year On, whether the Scottish Government will proceed with the proposed research sub-group of SACDM and, if so, where the sub-group will be positioned in the proposed new structure.

Fergus Ewing: Members of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse (SACDM) were advised in spring 2008 of the Government’s intention to reconstitute SACDM to give it a key role in overseeing the implementation of our national drugs strategy. On 20 April 2009 I announced that SACDM will be replaced by the Drugs Strategy Delivery Commission, with an independent chair and remit, to look afresh at strategic issues. This group will be augmented by a supporting structure of sub-groups on specific issues, including the National Evidence Group. In developing the detail of the new commission we are drawing on advice from a range of sources.

Drug Misuse

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains committed to the objective of harm reduction as a key priority of its drug strategy.

Fergus Ewing: The key aim of our national drug strategy is recovery from problem drug use. People achieve recovery in different ways. The strategy makes it clear that there needs to be a range of services in place to make recovery a reality, including harm reduction services such as needle exchanges, as well as community and residential rehabilitation and detoxification programmes.

Drug Misuse

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on methadone use.

Fergus Ewing: Our national drug strategy The Road to Recovery makes it clear that a range of services, including substitute prescribing, needs to be in place to enable people to recover from their drug use. It is, however, for clinicians to decide the most appropriate treatment in consultation with their patient. The Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management provide guidance on the treatment of drug use. The Government strongly supports these guidelines as the basis on which clinicians and other professionals should consider treatment of patients with drug use problems. A copy of the guidelines can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/09/drug-clinical-guidelines.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Anne McLaughlin (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to ensure that residential rehabilitation services for drugs and alcohol are expanded and available throughout Scotland.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government provides funding, via NHS boards, for treatment and support services. Decisions on spend – including for residential rehabilitation services – are made at a local level by Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (Alcohol and Drug Partnerships from 1 October), taking into account local assessment of need and priorities; national priorities as set out in our Framework for Action Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol ; health inequalities; and our new Framework for Local Partnerships on alcohol and drugs. As such, decisions on residential rehabilitation will be made locally. In 2009-10, the Scottish Government will provide £36 million via NHS boards for tackling alcohol misuse and £28 million for tackling drug misuse.

  In Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol, we set out our commitment to establish a working group to update core services for alcohol treatment and support, revisiting the principles underpinning the Alcohol Treatment Services Framework; identifying and updating effective interventions, and setting out guidance on development of integrated care pathways which take into consideration multiple and complex needs.

Equality

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult over the summer on whether the socioeconomic duty in the UK Equality Bill should be extended to Scotland.

Alex Neil: Yes - we plan to consult on this issue in summer 2009. Further to the Equal Opportunities Committee on 9 June, my colleagues and I have now had the opportunity to consider this matter. Earlier this week I wrote to the clerk of the committee to indicate that we will be consulting on this duty, along with wider consultation on the specific equality duties to be placed on Scottish public authorities.

Further and Higher Education

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance to meet childcare costs is available to parents studying in further and higher education.

Fiona Hyslop: There is a range of assistance available for parents studying in further and higher education:

  Further Education Childcare Support

  Each college has a further education childcare fund which parent students can apply to. This support is additional to bursary funding and applies to registered childcare only. Some colleges, however, may additionally offer different methods of childcare support such as on-site nurseries.

  Higher Education Childcare Support

  In addition to general living cost support (in the forms of grants and student loans):

  Lone parent students can claim an additional £1,270 as lone parent grant from the Students Awards Agency for Scotland.

  Funding of up to £1,185 can also be claimed towards the cost of formal registered childcare as lone parent’s childcare grant again for higher education students.

  Each institution is also allocated a childcare fund as part of it’s discretionary funds. The higher education childcare fund is open to all eligible parent students and there is no cap on the maximum amount payable. It is for individual institutions to determine the level of awards. If this fund is exhausted, institutions are able to use their general discretionary fund to help with childcare costs.

  Support for parents with the costs of childcare is also provided through UK tax credits and childcare vouchers.

Gaelic

Alasdair Allan (Western Isles) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to increase the provision of education for adult learners of Gaelic.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government recognises the vital role which Gaelic adult education has to play in creating a secure future for the language in Scotland. The Scottish Government also recognises the importance of increasing the opportunities for and the effectiveness of Gaelic adult education. There are a number of Gaelic adult education options in place and it is the Government’s intention that this provision should increase.

Health

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the capital projects planned in NHS Lanarkshire’s A Picture of Health modernisation programme will be completed in the timescale agreed when the proposals were first approved.

Nicola Sturgeon: Sixteen priority capital projects (excluding the acute hospital redevelopments) had been planned by the board under A Picture of Health and in the original plan it was envisaged that these would be completed within a five-year period. It was always intended however that the developments would require to be completed in a phased basis, recognising the NHS board’s capacity and available resources. All but two of these projects have commenced and will be completed by the end of 2013.

  Planning work for Airdrie Health Centre and the North Mental Health Inpatient Unit is ongoing and the board envisages that these projects will also be completed within the same timescale.

Healthy Eating

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the 550 establishments that hold the healthyliving award sell products containing trans fat levels of more than 1%.

Shona Robison: This information is not publicly available.

  The healthyliving award scheme does not require participating outlets to measure the trans fat content of foods. The criteria are food group based rather than nutrient based, that is they look at cooking methods and ingredients to meet award aims, rather than requiring nutrient analysis.

  Nutrient specifications are only considered where complete products or ready meals are being promoted as healthier options within a catering establishment.

  The criteria are designed to help caterers reduce the levels of total fat and saturated fat in the food they serve.

Healthy Eating

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the healthyliving award at entry or higher level takes into account the level of (a) trans fat, (b) saturated fat, (c) sugar or (d) salt as criteria determining eligibility for an award.

Shona Robison: The criteria for the healthyliving award and healthyliving award plus are based on the general principles of a healthy balanced diet to address the dietary concerns in Scotland, namely to reduce the amount of fat (including saturated fat), salt and sugar in food served and to increase the availability of starchy carbohydrates and fruit and vegetables. There are no specific criteria around trans fats.

  The criteria are food group based rather than nutrient based, that is they look at cooking methods and ingredients to meet award aims, rather than requiring nutrient analysis.

  Nutrient specifications are only considered where complete products or ready meals are being promoted as healthier options within a catering establishment.

Homecoming Scotland

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is promoting Scottish literature in schools during the Year of Homecoming.

Fiona Hyslop: This Government is committed to promoting Scottish culture and heritage in schools. Curriculum for Excellence explicitly promotes the value of the culture, languages and literature of Scotland and encourages teachers to introduce Scottish literature into teaching and learning.

  The Year of Homecoming offers an ideal opportunity to promote Scottish literature in schools and is supported by Learning and Teaching Scotland through the provision of resources and space for schools to share practice. The opportunities Curriculum for Excellence offers in raising awareness of the legacy and vibrancy of Scottish literature will develop beyond 2009, enabling our young people to better develop their understanding and knowledge of Scotland and its place in the world.

Homelessness

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by each local authority on preventing homelessness in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09.

Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally. Prevention of homelessness involves a variety of local approaches and funding sources by local authorities reflecting the complexity of the issue. In recognition of this, the Scottish Government published prevention of homelessness guidance on 10 June 2009.

Housing

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have (a) applied for and (b) received support to purchase a home in (i) Dunbartonshire and (ii) Argyll and Bute under the Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers and what the value of that support is.

Alex Neil: The Low-cost Initiative for First-Time Buyers (LIFT) established in October 2007 brings together a range of Scottish Government initiatives to help households get onto the housing ladder.

  This includes the New Supply Shared Equity scheme and Open Market Shared Equity Pilot scheme; shared ownership; Rural Home Ownership Grants (RHOGs); and GRO grants for owner occupation (grants to private developers to build low cost housing for sale).

  In response to (a), the only centrally held information on applications under LIFT relates to the Open Market Shared Equity Pilot scheme. Since the temporary expansion of the pilot scheme on 31 March 2009 the following people have applied from Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire:

  

 Grant Type
 Local Authority
 Number of Applications Received at 31.5.09
 Number of Completed Applications Returned at 31.5.09
 Number of Purchases at 31.5.09


 Open Market Shared Equity Pilot scheme
 Argyll and Bute
 20
 8
 -


 West Dunbartonshire
 38
 8
 -



  In response to (b), with regard to New Supply Shared Equity and Rural Home Ownership Grants, please see below the number of people in Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire who have received support to purchase a home and the value of that support.

  

 Grant Type
 Local Authority
 Number of Households Supported
 Value of Support


New Supply Shared Equityscheme
 Argyll and Bute
 67
£3,146,806


 West Dunbartonshire
 35
£1,585,809


 Rural Home Ownership Grant
 Argyll and Bute
 15
£760,137


 West Dunbartonshire
 n/a
 n/a



  We do not centrally hold information on shared ownership or GRO sales. However we can report that in West Dunbartonshire 25 shared ownership and 50 GRO grant properties have been completed and made available for purchase initially marketed at first-time buyers.

Housing

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the energy performance certificate methodology in light of the potential impact on the values of rural properties of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) users.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government has no plans to review the principles set out within the current energy performance certificate (EPC) methodology.

Justice

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to answer to the supplementary to question S3O-7232 by Fergus Ewing on 3 June 2009 ( Official Report c. 18094), what the projected cost was of the proposed rehabilitation programme for offenders convicted under section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 that was considered by the Scottish Government.

Fergus Ewing: The current financial climate greatly restricts the opportunities for projects requiring any new funding support. In response to question S3O-7232 I offered to explore how the anti-sectarian resource developed by YouthLink Scotland, and being used successfully in Polmont Young Offenders Institute, could be further developed for wider use with those convicted of sectarian offences. I believe that this is a practical way forward given current financial constraints.

Ministerial Engagements

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister has travelled by train to or from any official engagements since August 2008..

John Swinney: The First Minister has indeed used the train to travel to or from official engagements since August 2008.

Ministerial Meetings

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last attended a Council of Ministers meeting.

Michael Russell: The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill, attended the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 4 and 5 June 2009.

NHS Boards

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards it is considering for the piloting of direct elections.

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to announce which NHS boards have been selected for the piloting of direct elections.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Health Boards (Membership and Elections) (Scotland) Act 2009 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2009 was laid before Parliament on Tuesday 16 June 2009. This order names NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway as the health boards that will pilot direct elections.

  When selecting these areas the following factors were considered:

  To minimise any disruptive turnover of health board members, areas where appointed member vacancies will occur between now and May 2010 were selected. This means that appointed member vacancies would be filled by elected members after the election.

  In pursuance of our simple administrative approach to pilot elections, pilot board areas that were co-terminus with local authority boundaries were chosen.

  To reflect the diversity of the health boards across Scotland and to ensure the pilots would provide meaningful lessons that would be transferable to other areas, one predominately rural health board and one predominantly urban area were selected.

Planning

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to create a duty on community planning partnerships to consult the voluntary sector.

John Swinney: Local authorities, as facilitators, have a statutory duty under section 15(1) of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 to consult and co-operate with such community bodies as is appropriate in the community planning process. This should reflect the circumstances of their particular communities.

  The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 - Community Planning: Statutory Guidance advises that local authorities "should consult and co-operate with a wide range of interests including community and voluntary organisations, whether delivering services or representing a specific area of interest which may be locally based or, where appropriate, a regional or national organisation".

  We are working with the Third Sector Task Group, a high level group supported by COSLA, SOLACE, the third sector and the Scottish Government, to improve cooperation between the third sector and councils. In particular, a wide-ranging effort is being made to create interfaces to provide community planning partnerships with a straightforward way to engage with the third sector.

Police

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many black and minority ethnic police officers were serving in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08, broken down by (i) rank, (ii) gender and (iii) the percentage of all police officers that this represents.

Kenny MacAskill: Data on the total number of police officers, and the total number of black and minority ethnic police officers, broken down by both rank and gender, is available on the HMICS (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland) website, available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/public-safety/Police/local/15403/Statistical/TotalstaffHTML .

Ports

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the importance of shipping container capacity at Grangemouth and Rosyth to major export businesses in Fife.

Stewart Stevenson: We recognise the importance of shipping container capacity at Grangemouth and Rosyth for export businesses across Scotland, and its contribution to the Scottish Government’s purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth. Port development projects at these locations have been designated as national developments in the proposed National Planning Framework for Scotland 2, which was recently considered by Parliament and which will be published in the summer.

Ports

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the ports at Grangemouth and Rosyth in its final National Planning Framework for Scotland 2.

Stewart Stevenson: The Local Government and Communities Committee 5th Report, 2009 (Session 3) Report on the National Planning Framework 2: Proposed Framework recommended that the Government should "continue dialogue with Forth Ports plc to reach an agreed resolution to their concerns and, in so doing, take into account the views of all interested parties". My officials met again with the group chief executive of Forth Ports plc on 27 April 2009 and subsequently liaised with representatives of Babcock Marine and Forth Ports. The outcome of that dialogue will be reflected in the second National Planning Framework and set out in the accompanying statement to Parliament on the changes made in the light of the views expressed by Parliament, when they are published this summer.

Ports

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the positives and negatives would be of extending access to export shipping at Grangemouth.

Stewart Stevenson: It is for Forth Ports, as port authority, to assess any extended access to export shipping at Grangemouth port, recognising its proposed designation as a national development, as set out in the answer to question S3W-24666 on 18 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Ports

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many shipping containers were imported and exported from Scotland’s ports in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) port and (b) area of destination and origination.

Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is not held centrally. However, tonnage of container and roll on traffic through Scotland’s major ports for the last three years is shown in the following table:

  Container Traffic at Scottish Major Ports (per thousand tonnes), 2005-07

  

 2005
 2006
 2007


 7,639
 7,607
 7,932



  Source: Scottish Transport statistics table 10.5

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/22091243/139.

  Note: A major port is defined as having an annual freight throughput of at least one million tonnes.

Ports

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many shipping containers of waste were imported and exported from Scotland’s ports in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) port and (b) area of destination and origination.

Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is not held centrally. Information on the total tonnage of container and roll on freight is provided in the answer to question S3W-24670 on 18 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Prison Service

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the arrangements are for the departure of the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to work with the Scottish International Educational Trust.

John Swinney: Mike Ewart, the current Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, will take early retirement in March 2010. It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on information regarding his future employment plans.

Prison Service

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the arrangements are for the appointment of a new chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service and what changes there are in the terms of reference and conditions of employment as compared with the present incumbent.

John Swinney: Arrangements for the appointment of a new chief executive will be put in place in due course. Terms of reference and conditions of appointment cannot be finalised until an appointment is made.

Prison Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Service has responded to the direction by Ofcom to reduce the cost of phone calls made by prisoners and, if not, when such a response will be made.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  Ofcom’s response to the super-complaint on the cost of calls made by prisoners, published on 22 September 2008, contained the following invitation:

  "Invite the SPS to consider whether it would be appropriate to open negotiations with Siemens to reduce the cost of telephone calls under the current contracts."

  SPS has responded to this invitation:

  By opening negotiations with Siemens to reduce the cost of telephone calls under the current contract which expires on 31 March 2010.

  By designing the current tendering process for the future contract in such a way so as to recue prisoner call rates from April 2010 onwards.

  Ofcom wrote to SPS on 16 April 2009 asking SPS to provide Ofcom "with an update on the SPS’s review of call charges with Siemens". SPS replied to Ofcom on 30 April 2009.

Prison Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct the Scottish Prison Service to reduce the cost of phone calls made by prisoners in line with the 12% average reduction agreed by the National Offender Management Service for prisons in England and Wales and its service provider, BT.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  As recommended by Ofcom, SPS discussed with Siemens the possibility of reducing the rates that they charge prisoners for phone calls between now and the end of their contract but they have responded that for commercial reasons they are not willing to do so without a contribution from SPS. It was not deemed appropriate for SPS to subsidise a reduction in prisoner call charges.

  SPS understands that the reduction agreed by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for prisons in England and Wales is 100% funded by the commercial supplier, BT, with no contribution from NOMS and therefore a minimal impact on the taxpayer.

  SPS is procuring a new contract which will address the issues raised by Ofcom.

Prison Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what justification the phone service provider for prisons has given the Scottish Prison Service for the high cost of calls for prisoners compared with calls made from payphones.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  Siemens commercial proposal, at contract award, between SPS and Siemens was based on the current call charge rates, which at the time of contract award was the same as the call charge tariff in force in HMPS prisons in England and Wales. The call charge tariff remains part of the current contract which runs until 31 March 2010.

Prison Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much a 30 minute phone call from a prison to a landline costs.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  A 30 minute phone call from a prison to a UK landline would cost £3.24.

Prison Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how long, on average, phone calls made by inmates from prisons last.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  On average, phone calls made by inmates from prison during the last five years (2004-09) have lasted 4.1 minutes.

Respite Care

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional hours of respite care there have been since April 2008, broken down by local authority.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on respite hours is a statutory performance indicator collected by Audit Scotland. Information for 2008-09 is currently being audited and will be published for each local authority on the Audit Scotland performance information website in December 2009 http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/performance/index.php .

Schools

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Orkney Islands Schools NPD project was (a) first given outline business case approval and (b) publicly announced.

Fiona Hyslop: Orkney Islands Council was given an indicative offer of funding for its project on 28 November 2006, on the basis of an outline business case submitted earlier that year. On 12 March 2009, following quality assurance work by Scottish Futures Trust, the council commissioned its school NPD project. In both instances announcements were made shortly after. Funding support for this, and other projects commissioned by councils, is having to be supported by around £60 million more per annum than was included in the funding baselines inherited from the previous administration.

Scottish Futures Trust

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23730 by John Swinney on 26 May 2009, on which infrastructure priorities the Scottish Futures Trust is focusing its work.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24613 on 16 June 2009 and to the statement made by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on 17 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Scottish Government Staff

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the gender pay gap is in each of its directorates and agencies.

John Swinney: The gender pay gap is a comparison of the average salary of females with the average salary of males for work of equal value. For equal pay purposes, staff in the same pay range are taken as doing work of equal value.

  The information in respect of staff below senior civil service level in each pay bargaining unit is shown in the following tables.

  Table 1: Scottish Government Main Bargaining Unit

  

 Pay Range
 Pay Gap


 A3
 101.5%


 A4
 102.6%


 B1
 99.7%


 B2
 99.1%


 B3
 97.5%


 BF
 99.3%


 C1
 98.0%


 C2
 98.4%


 C3
 100.0%



  Notes:

  1. The Scottish Government main bargaining unit covers staff below senior civil service level in the core directorates and most of its agencies.

  2. Figures as at October 2008.

  Table 2: Historic Scotland

  

 Pay Range
 Pay Gap


 Band A
 99.4%


 Band B
 96.7%


 Band C
 94.9%


 Band D
 97.7%


 Band E
 97.6%


 Band F
 100.0%


 Band G
 101.0%



  Note: Figures as at August 2007.

  Table 3: Scottish Prison Service

  

Pay Range
Pay Gap


B
98%


C
95%


D
97%


E
98%


F
99%


G
97%


H
101%


I
100%


Practitioner Nurse
100%


Clinical Manager
105%


Health Centre Manager
98%



  Note: Figures as at April 2009.

  Table 4: Scottish Court Service

  

 Pay Range
 Pay Gap


Director
102.4%


Senior Manager
97.0%


Sheriffdom Legal Adviser
85.9%


Legal Assessor
105.1%


SEO
99.9%


HEO
96.5%


EO
100.5%


AO and Clerk/Typist
99.2%


Typist
n/a


AA and Support Grade
100.3%



  Note: Figures as at March 2009.

  Table 5: Registers of Scotland

  

 Pay Range
 Pay Gap


 G7
 102.0%


 SEO equivalent
 97.1%


 HEO equivalent
 99.1%


 EO equivalent
 100.4%


 AO equivalent
 100.1%


 AA equivalent
 99.9%



  Note: Figures as at May 2009.

  The gap is shown as the average female salary as a percentage of the average male salary. It is to be expected that there will be minor differences in average salaries, particularly if few staff are being compared, as seen in the tables.

  The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is currently carrying out a pay audit and up-to-date figures are not available at this time. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. number 48376).

  The pay of senior civil servants is a reserved issue and is determined in-line with policies originating from cabinet office and have therefore not been included in this response.

Single Outcome Agreements

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role single outcome agreements have in ensuring that local authorities meet their statutory duty of furthering the conservation of biodiversity under section 1 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and what measures it uses to assess whether and how that duty is met.

Roseanna Cunningham: Local authorities must determine for themselves how best to incorporate the biodiversity duty in their programmes and actions. There are no formal centralised monitoring arrangements. Although there is no specific obligation for local authorities to include measures relating to the biodiversity duty within their single outcome agreements, some agreements do include reference to relevant actions and targets and I have recently written to all local authorities to encourage them to consider whether this would provide a helpful way of setting out their plans for biodiversity delivery going forward. Local authority single outcome agreements for 2009 are published and available on the Improvement Service website www.improvementservice.org.uk .

Single Outcome Agreements

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that equality impact assessments should be applied to singe outcome agreements.

Alex Neil: It is not the Scottish Government’s role to determine on whether an authority has appropriately complied with its public sector equality duties. However, as the Scottish Government is engaged with community planning partnerships (CPPs) in the development of single outcome agreements (SOAs), it recognises its responsibility to work with partners to ensure that equality is properly considered and reflected.

  To support this, in March 2009 the Scottish Government and COSLA issued advice on Equality and Single Outcome Agreements – Getting to Best Practice. This advice is intended to help community planning partners to consider how they may move beyond fulfilling their individual equalities obligations and toward jointly incorporating

Swimming Pools

Nicol Stephen (Aberdeen South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive from which budget its £5 million contribution to the proposed 50-metre swimming pool in Aberdeen will come.

Shona Robison: All Scottish Government funding for sport is routed through sportscotland and once an application has been considered, the award will be made from sportscotland’s Sports Facilities Fund. I am pleased that this process has now begun following Aberdeen City Council’s recent submission of a Stage 1 application.

Swimming Pools

Nicol Stephen (Aberdeen South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings and correspondence ministers have had with Aberdeen City Council regarding the proposed 50-metre swimming pool in Aberdeen since May 2007.

Shona Robison: The former Minister for Communities and Sport, Stewart Maxwell, met with representatives of Aberdeen City Council to discuss the proposed 50-metre pool during a visit to Aberdeen on 7 August 2007.

  Details of correspondence between ministers and Aberdeen City Council on the issue of the 50-metre pool are listed in the following table.

  A business plan has been considered by my officials and comments have been offered which will require to be addressed by Aberdeen City Council in taking forward their application for funding from sportscotland. I understand that the council has now begun the formal application process.

  

 Date of Letter
 Recipient
 Correspondent
 Date of Reply


 25-06-2007
 Maxwell
Mr Paterson 
  Cllr Dean
Cllr Stewart
 24-07-2007


 25-06-2007
 Salmond
Mr Paterson 
  Cllr Dean 
Cllr Stewart
 27-07-2007


 13-07-2007
 Maxwell
Cllr Dean
Cllr Stewart
 02-08-2007


 08-08-2007
 Maxwell
Cllr Dean
Cllr Stewart
 03-10-2007


 11-10-2007
 Maxwell
 Cllr Fletcher
 29-10-2007


 15-10-2007
 Maxwell
Cllr Dean 
  Cllr Stewart 
Cllr Ironside Cllr Milne
 13-12-2007


 24-04-2008
 Salmond
 Cllr Fletcher
 n/a


 23-02-2009
 Robison
 Ms Bruce
 31-03-2009


 20-03-2009
 Swinney
 Cllr Fletcher
 30-04-2009

Teachers

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a target for teacher numbers in Scotland.

Keith Brown: Class sizes in Scotland are at a record low. Maintaining teacher numbers in the face of falling school rolls is a mechanism to deliver reduced class sizes. We will work collectively with COSLA, local authorities and others to ensure we achieve even more progress on our class size agenda.

Vaccinations

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage uptake of the seasonal flu vaccination for at-risk groups was over winter 2008-09.

Shona Robison: Based on information returned to Health Protection Scotland by a proportion of GPs, uptake rate in the at-risk groups for the 2008-09 seasonal influenza vaccination programme is estimated at 48.5%. This compares to an estimate of 42.9% for the 2007-08 flu season.

Young Offenders

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals convicted under section 74 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 have participated in its pilot rehabilitation project at HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont.

Fergus Ewing: We provided YouthLink Scotland with £22,000 to develop an anti-sectarian resource for youth workers. Ten inmates from Polmont Young Offenders Institution participated in the pilot which led to the development of the resource which has now been used to tackle the sectarian attitudes of over 50 further inmates since I launched it in December 2008. The resource continues to be used to work with young people who are identified by professionals at the Institution as showing sectarian behaviours.